Love Takes Awhile
by lea-myoneandonly
Summary: After Lea is in a car accident, will she be able to recover? How does Cory handle it? This story is about how Lea and Cory overcome their obstacles.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: Hello readers! I'm so excited to share with yall my new story 'Love Takes Awhile' I'm expecting to have a lot more chapters rather than my last fanfic. In this story Lea and Cory have already met and know each other very well. Through out the story please don't forget to leave reviews and comments! I would love feedback from yall, the readers! Finally, I hope you enjoy as we take this journey of how Lea and Cory overcome their obstacles together.**

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'Love Takes a While'

Cory was in his way home from work, when he received a phone call, which would change his life forever! He felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He went to check the number of the caller, but he did not recognize it, but he picked it up anyway.

"Hello?" said Cory.

"Is this Cory Monteith?" said the woman on the other side of the call.

"Yes. Why?" Cory said in response.

"I have some news in regard of Lea Michele and this is the number we have in our records to call in case of emergencies."

Cory whispered to himself, "In case of emergency," he was trying to process what on earth could have happened regarding Lea.

The woman on the phone then started explaining to Cory what had happened, "I am sorry to have to tell you this, but I need to inform you that Lea Michele has been in a car accident and is currently in critical condition." The woman explained.

"What? OH MY GOD! Is she all right? Where is she? What happened?" He asked as he began to cry.

"Right now we are unsure of how bad the damage is. Considering she is in ICU it could be fatal. It is hard to predict what could happen. The doctors will be keeping a close eye on her for the next 72 hours. In cases like this there could be brain damage. The doctors will be trying to determine how bad the brain is, if there is any. She is currently in Acoma and is on breathing machine. And sir, I suggest you come right away!"

"Where is she?" he asked again.

"She is at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center!"

"I'm on my way now. I will be there in 25 minutes. If anything further happens, please call me!"

Cory hung up the phone and began driving as quickly as possible. He knew Lea wasn't the best driver, but he never though it would come down to this.

**xXx**

Cory reached the hospital and rushed in side, heading straight for the front desk.

"Excuse me, I'm here for Lea Michele. I was just informed she was in critical condition due to a car accident."

"Yes, I see that right here. You may go ahead and go up to the third floor. Find the desk upstairs and they will help you." The receptionist said.

Cory ran to the stairs, because he was afraid the elevators would take to long, and sprinted as fast as he could. As soon as he got to the desk he told them he was here to see Lea. The nurses had him to take a seat for a moment. Soon after, a nurse called his name to take him back to Lea's room. He jumped up and walked straight over to the nurse.

"I'm Cory," he said quickly.

"Please follow me." The nurse said showing were Cory to go. They reached the room and Cory walked right through the doors. He saw her lying the on the hospital bed, all beat up from the crash, and barley moving. He walked over to the side of her bed, grabbed her hand, and started crying. He wasn't sure how this happened, how fast something like this could happen. He was talking to her even though he knew he wasn't going to get an answer.

"Lea, babe!" Cory started to say while breaking down with tears, "I'm so sorry! I have no idea how this could of happened! It's all my fault! If only I had gone with you to the store. I could have prevented this." Cory continued whispering to himself, "It's all my fault, it's all my fault!" Cory pulled a chair over next to the bed. He was still grasping Lea's hand and crying. After a little bit of blaming himself, he laid his head on he side of the bed.

"Cory?" the doctor asked.

"Yes that's me. Doctor what happened? How is she? Is she going to be okay?" he began asking several questions.

"She is still unconscious and we have her in critical condition just to make sure everything okay. We didn't want to take any chances, but she was hit pretty hard. We currently have her on lots of medication and painkillers, but she had hit her head pretty hard, so there could be a chance of some brain damage, but we cannot be entirely sure until she is awake. Also, Cory, when she wakes up she will probably not remember much of what happened, so bare with her." The doctor said.

"Okay. Thank you! Can I stay with her? Please? Asked Cory.

"Of Corse. I will be back shortly." The doctor said as he walked away.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: I hope yall enjoyed the first chapter! This chapter is a bit short but don't worry the next couple chapters are longer. Let's see how Cory deals with what happened as he gets some visits from family and friends. And please leave reviews and comments!**

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Over the corse of a couple days, the only thing Cory did was cry, talk to Lea hoping somehow she could understand him, and pace back and forth in the hospital room. Several people such as, Mr. and Mrs. Sarfati, his band mates, and a couple friends had come by to visit. It was the third day she was in the hospital and he hadn't been eating much because he was too busy focusing and thinking about Lea.

"Cory?" a woman said knocking on the door.

"Edith, hi, um I didn't know you were coming today. It's great to see you though. I know Lea would want you to be here."

"Thanks Cory. How are you holding up?" She said while pulling a chair over next to him.

"Well, I've been better. Honestly, I'm still trying to process what happened. It's all just becoming so real to me. I just wished I would have gone with her to the store or some how not had her gone," Cory said as he began getting choked up, "If I would have even had her go another day, we wouldn't be in this mess. It's my fault she's here!" tears then began rolling don his face.

"Cory, it is not your fault! Neither you nor Lea knew this was going to happen. There was no way you could have prevented it." Edith said when she placed a hand on Cory's shoulder.

Cory just sat there listening to her as she continued; "I just want you to know that I don't blame you for what happened. It's not your fault. The one who is at fault is the driver who hit her."

They both sat there in silence looking at Lea. They were hoping that Lea would wake up soon and that hopefully little or no brain damage would be done.

**xXx**

It had been a couple hours since Edith left and Cory had fallen asleep in the chair. After all it had been a couple of rough days. He loved how their family and friends had been coming to visit Lea and also Cory. Some brought meals for Cory, but he want eating them due to his lose of appetite.

Cory suddenly woke to a sudden knock on the door. Cory turned his head to see who was here. Turns out it was Jonathon. Jonathon met Lea when they were in Spring Awakening together. They had become best friends and still were to this day. He had always been there for Lea, as well as Cory. Lea and Jon were like sister and brother. They always had each other's backs.

"Hey there Cory. Sorry to wake you. Can I come in?" asked Jon.

"Yeah, of course man." Cory said while sitting up from his nap.

"How she doing?"

"Well, nothing has changed so far. She's still unconscious and hasn't been moving, other than the machine that's breathing for her."

"I'm sorry Cory. I was hoping there would be new news."

"The doctors say that she could be in this state for weeks. We are all just hoping it would be sooner and that there will be no brain damage."

"Cory, I here if you need me. Please, if you ever want to get out of the hospital for a couple hours, I will come and stay here for a while."

"Thanks Jon! That really means a lot! I appreciate it."

"No problem! It would be nice to hang out with my little sister a little, even in this sense. Hey, would you mind if I could talk to Lea a little bit."

"Yeah, of course man." Cory said as he stood up and walked out the door.

"Hey Lea. I know you can hear me in there. I just wanna say that you better wake up soon, because I need someone to shop with again! It has been terrible without you! I also met this guy and I need you opinion of him. Lea I don't know if you getting the message or not but I'm in crisis mode here! So I would really appreciate it if you woke up soon!" Jon said in a cheerful way.

After about 15 minutes Jon walked outside to get Cory.

"Thanks for letting me speak to her. I know she can understand us! Oh, and Cory, if you need anything, an I mean anything at all, please call me!" Jon said.

"Okay thanks Jon. Will I be seeing you again soon?" Cory asked.

"Well depending on how my date goes tonight. I will keep you posted!" Jon teased.

"Sounds good. Have a nice night." Cory said as Jon began walking away.

Cory walked back in the room and sat down in his chair. He really appreciated people coming to see Lea. It was a good way to keep her involved with her friends and their lives even if she wasn't responding. He quickly dosed off into another one if his naps.


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Note: Hello there readers! Sorry i didn't update sooner i was out of town. Anyways i hop you liked last chapter with some visits from Edith an Jon. I really think ill will love this chapter! So enjoy and please don't forget to review! **

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Cory was patiently waiting for Lea to wake up. It had been about a week, and the longest week of his life. He was off work, due to the predicament and he was spending all his time at the hospital. He had been by her side for 24/7 and he wasn't planning on going anywhere, anytime soon. He was initially over crying now. He kept replaying that phone call and what the doctor said in his head over and over again. Quite frankly, he couldn't get it out of his head. It was all he was thinking about for the past week. Thinking about what the doctor said about her being able to remember some things and brain damage. He couldn't help but wonder how severe the brain damage could be, when all of a sudden he saw the tiny, injured, brunette, sitting in the hospital bed, staring to move.

"Nurses! Doctor! She's moving! She's moving!" Cory yelled to get their attention.

The nurses and doctor were immediately in the room watching Lea move and to see if she was waking up. Her right hand was making slight movements.

"Cory, you might like to know that this is a good sign!" the doctor said.

"It is?" Cory asked.

"Yes. The fact that she is moving this far into recovering is around 60% better than other cases like hers. I know it may only look like a small movement, but this means parts of her brain are initially starting to work again. I'm not positive on this but she could be awake in the next couple of days." The doctor explained.

"Do you think there will be much brain damage?"

"It's hard to say. We cant be positive until she is awake."

"Thanks doc. I really appreciate everything!"

"No, problem! Its my job!" said the doctor.

"Were going to have to run some test Cory, so you might wanna take the time to go eat something."

"It's okay. I'm fine. I'm not even hungry." Cory stated.

"Cory, please, I know you wanna be by her side every moment of the day, but you need to take care of yourself as well. Everything will be fine for the time being. If anything happens I will come get you. Also, you haven't really been eating. You need to think bout your health as well, because you don't wanna end up in her to. So please Cory? Will you go eat and take a shower for me?

"I guess it wouldn't hurt."

"Thank you Cory, and while you're at it, you might want to pick up some clothes and some things for Lea. You don't know how long she will be in here and when she wakes up she will want to wear her own clothes. Trust me I know."

Okay, I'm going to run through a drive thru and then pick up some clothes for her. I will be back in about an hour." Cory then got up and walked out the door. You could tell he didn't want to but after all he could use some time to himself.

**xXx**

Cory got into his car, turned on the radio, and began to drive out of the parking garage. When pulling out, the song Faithfully was starting to play. He listened to every work just like he had the first time he heard it with Lea. Him and Lea have history with this song. They were together when they heard it. They were at a friends wedding and they were dancing when it began playing. He was holding her close and began softly singing the words.

_Highway run _

_Into the midnight sun _

_Wheels go round and round _

_You're on my mind _

_Restless hearts _

_Sleep alone tonight _

_Sending all my love along the wire _

_They say that the road _

_Ain't no place to start a family _

_Right down the line it's been you and me _

_And loving a music man _

_Ain't always what it's supposed to be _

_Oh Girl _

_You stand by me _

_I'm forever yours _

_Faithfully_

All he could remember think was that, that moment could not have been any more perfect. He was with his girl, slow dancing, and singing what would soon become their song.

_Circus life _

_Under the big top world _

_We all need the clowns to make us smile _

_Through space and time _

_Always another show _

_Wondering where I am lost without you _

_And being apart ain't easy on this love affair _

_Two strangers learn to fall in love again _

_I get the joy of rediscovering you _

_Oh girl _

_You stand by me _

_I'm forever yours _

_Faithfully_

As soon as the chorus began they were both quietly singing to each other. The song meant so much to both of them and basically summed up there feeling for each other.

_Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh _

_Oh oh oh oh oh oh _

_Faithfully _

_I'm still yours _

_I'm forever yours _

_Ever yours _

_Faithfully_

Cory, drove through Wendy's to grab a burger and fries. He was eating his meal on the way to grab Lea some clothes and thing. When he got to the apartment, he went to her dresser grabbed some shorts, sweat pants, tank tops, t-shirt, and basically half her wardrobe cause he wasn't really sure what she would need. He then went into the bathroom and got her brush, tooth brush and tooth paste, and some hair items. He was so tired so he went ahead and just took a nap on the bed. He hadn't been able to sleep much lately due to the issue at hand.

When Cory woke up, he looked over at the clock and saw that he had gotten about 3 hours of sleep. He felt refreshed and decided to head back to the hospital.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been exactly a week; 7 full days; 168 hours. Cory was over the initial shock of what had happened and started to cope with the situation. Lea still was in a coma, but had been making slight movement here and here. Cory had been enjoying the visits by friends and family, to bring in some of the real world, considering he was basically living in that hospital room. All he wanted was for Lea to wake up and for everything to be fine so that they could go home. But that wasn't an option right now. She was still asleep, barley able to move, and he knew this would be a long process to recovery. Cory had gotten so much sleep the past week, just sitting there in his chair, drifting off whenever he could so his mind wouldn't be so focused on the situation in front of him. Cory returned to them room after getting something to eat form the hospital cafeterias. He sat down in his seat, when he began to drift off yet again.

**xXx**

_Cory had picked up his phone with a phone call from Lea._

"_Hey babe. What's up?" Cory responded._

"_I'm on my way to the store. I was calling to see if you needed anything from the store?"_

"_No I'm good. Oh I almost forgot, do you wanna grab some dinner out?" he asked._

"_Sure, you make a reservation and I should be home in about an hour to get ready."_

"_See you then. Love you! Be safe."_

"_I will. Love you too! Can't wait for dinner." And with that the phone call went silent. _

_Lea was in her car on the way to the store to pick up some food for the house. She was constantly getting notifications from Twitter and Instagram from her fans. After her famous debut on Broadway and her hit television show Glee, she would get non-stop notifications. She was never able to read all of them because there was so many, but she tried her best. A good portion of them consisted of "Lea I am a huge fan," "I love you my princess," "I am a faithful Leanatic" and even "Lea please tweet me! It would mean the world to me." They were always so thoughtful and inspiring. She knew she couldn't tweet all of them back, but here and there she would tweet a few lucky fans back. She always loved a good Q&A too! She would do one every couple months! Her fans always had great questions. She had to remember she was in the car and she was trying to make the effort of not texting and driving. She had been doing pretty well, a few slip ups here and there. _

_Lea put her phone away after he conversation had finished. She turned up the radio discovering that Here's to Us by Halestorm was on. She turned up the music and was singing at the top of her lungs. This particular song was very dear to her heart. She had been given the song to sing when she was Glee, in which she shared a special little moment with her on-screen boyfriend, Finn Hudson._

_Here's to us_

_Here's to love_

_All the times_

_That we fucked up_

_Here's to you_

_Fill the glass_

_Cause the last few days_

_Have kicked my ass_

_So lets give em hell_

_Wish everybody well_

_Here's to us_

_Here's to us_

_Here's to all that we kissed_

_And to all that we missed_

_To the biggest mistakes_

_That we just wouldn't trade_

_To us breaking up_

_Without us breaking down_

_To whatever's come our way_

_Here's to us_

_Here's to love_

_All the times_

_That we messed up_

_Here's to you_

_Fill the glass_

_Cause the last few nights_

_Have kicked my ass_

_If they give you hell_

_Tell em to go fuck themselves_

_Here's to us_

_Here's to us_

_When the song came to an end she had a couple of tears in her eyes. They song had so much meaning to her and Cory. She had been sitting at a stoplight for forever when it finally turned green. She began turning through the intersection when out of nowhere, a large white truck ran a red light. She heard a loud crash and in a split second she had been altered unconscious._

**xXx**

Cory woke up from yet another one of his naps to see Lea suddenly beginning to move. Before you knew it her eyes began to open slowly. She was starting to wake up! Cory got up out of his seat and ran over to the bed and took her hand. She looked over at him with a very confused face.

"Where am I?" asked Lea.

"Lea, OH MY GOD! Are you okay? How are you? How are you feeling?" Cory said trying to no overwhelm her.

"My head really hurts," Lea complained.

"I'm sure! You took a hard hit. You were hit by car and you are at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. And you are in critical condition." Cory explained. "Let me get your nurses. Hang on."

"Okay, thank you doctor." Lea said confidently.

"Wait, what?" Cory said with confusion in his eyes.

"I said: thank you doctor."

"Lea, do you not know who I am?"

"I assumed you were my doctor…Aren't you my doctor?" she asked confused. Silence struck the room.

"No," Cory began to tear up, "Lea, I'm your husband."


End file.
